Home Health Care
What is Home Health Care?
Whether recovering from an illness or returning home from a hospital or nursing home stay, Calumet County Home Health Care can provide home-based skilled nursing care and therapies. The goal of our agency is to help our patients recover and regain their independence after the onset of an illness or injury.
Skilled Nursing
Registered Nurses perform a variety of specialized and highly skilled nursing duties. Nursing care is given in a variety of areas including:
- Instructions and support for the patient, family, and other caregivers
- Skilled evaluation and observation
- Venipuncture (blood draws)
- Infection prevention and control
- Ostomy and catheter instruction and care
- Medication management, oral medication set up, pre-filling insulin syringes
- Diabetes and insulin education
- Tube feedings
- Infusion (IV) therapy
- Post-surgical education and aftercare
- Pain and symptom management
- Wound care (surgical, decubitus ulcer, injuries, wound vacs)
- Central line/PICC line site care
- Anticoagulation therapy (INR/Protime) monitoring
- Disease management and education on self-care involving chronic conditions
Home Health Aide
Home health aides work under the supervision of a registered nurse. They provide hands-on care to help patients with personal care and activities of daily living. Our home health aides may provide the following services:
- Bathing (shower, sponge bath, bed bath, tub bath)
- Nail, hair, and skincare
- Oral hygiene
- Home exercise programs and ambulation
- Simple wound care
- Bowel programs
- Transfer assistance including the use of special transfer equipment
- Catheter care
- Meal set up and feeding
- Medication reminders
- Blood pressure and blood sugar checks
All of our home health aides are certified with the state of Wisconsin.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapists work with patients to help them regain movement and strength. Our physical therapists will visit you in your home and can provide the following services:
- Assess patient needs for assistive devices (canes, walkers, etc.)
- Provide balance and gait training
- Identify fall risks and teach how to manage these risks
- Develop a home exercise program
- Restore function and mobility
- Recommend home adaptations for safety
- Provide lymphedema therapy
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists evaluate and provide treatment to help our patients improve in self-care and daily activities. Our Occupational Therapists will visit you in your home and can provide the following services:
- Develop a home exercise program
- Evaluate and train patients on activities of daily living (i.e. dressing, bathing, cooking)
- Instruct patients on joint protection and personal energy conservation methods
- Evaluate the patient's home for safety and recommend changes
- Train in the use of adaptive devices
- Assess the patient's cognitive abilities
Speech Therapy
Speech therapists work with patients who have a variety of communication problems following a stroke or various brain injuries. Our speech therapists can provide the following services:
- Diagnose problems related to verbal and non-verbal communication
- Treat voice disorders and problems with swallowing
- Help patients improve by practicing identification of familiar objects, talking on the telephone, following simple directions and writing names.
- Develop home exercise programs
- Recommend communication aides
Eligibility for Home Health Care
In order to qualify for home health care, a physician's order is needed. In addition, the patient must meet the following criteria.
Skilled care
Care provided by Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists (in certain situations), or Speech Therapists that cannot be safely done by a non-skilled health care provider. Personal care assistance only is not considered skilled care.
Homebound criteria
For Medicare-covered services a patient must be considered "homebound". This means that your health condition is such that there exists a "normal inability to leave home" and doing so would require a considerable and taxing effort. In general, you could be considered homebound if you have a condition due to an injury or illness that restricts your ability to leave home without the aid of an assistive device (i.e. cane, walker, wheelchair), without the assistance of another person, or if leaving home is medically inadvisable. A patient can leave the home for medical treatment that cannot be provided in the home (i.e. dialysis). Also, a patient is allowed brief and infrequent absences from the home for some non-medical reasons. For example for special family events such as a wedding or to attend church.
For more information about eligibility, please call our office.
Payment for Home Health Care
Part or all of the cost for home health care may be paid by Medicare, Medical Assistance, Community Care, or Private Insurance. If the cost is not covered by any of these sources our patients may pay for services on a private pay basis. For further information please contact us.
Bath Care Program
Calumet County Home Health Care offers private pay bath care services for individuals needing bathing assistance from a home health aide 1-2 times per week. The care is supervised by a Registered Nurse. Please contact our office for the current cost for this service.
Foot Care Clinics
Please Note: Effective January 1, 2023, our cost per foot care clinic appointment will be increasing to $35. We have tried our best to keep costs low, but operating expenses continue to increase significantly every year. After a review by our Financial Department and our Health and Human Services Board, we have made the tough decision to increase fees. We thank you for your understanding as we continue to serve you.
Foot care clinics are staffed by home health care employees and are held in various locations within our service area. Foot care consists of foot soaks, toenail trim, nail filing, foot inspection, callous care, lotion, and foot massage. A Registered Nurse is always in attendance and referrals are made to local physicians and podiatrists as needed.
The cost for this service is $35 for each appointment (effective 1/1/23). Gift certificates are available. Please refer to the 2023 Foot Care Clinic Schedule to find a clinic near you and call (920) 849-1432 to schedule an appointment.
Why Choose Calumet County Home Health Care
The selection of a home care agency is an important decision…and it is your personal choice to make. You can ask for Calumet County Home Health Care by name. Federal law gives patients the freedom to choose their health care provider under Medicare. We hope you will consider Calumet County Home Health Care for your home care needs. For over 37 years Calumet County has been providing compassionate, quality home health care services to our patients. Calumet County is state-licensed and federally-certified to provide services to all residents of Calumet County and within 10 miles of our county borders. For more information about how Calumet County Home Health Care could help you or someone you care for, or to make a referral for home health care services, please contact our office at the contact information listed on our home page.
Local People Caring for Local People
As a local health care provider we deliver consistent caregivers week in and week out so that patients and their families feel comfortable, safe, and secure at home. Our care providers all live in our area and understand the unique care needs and resources available here in our community.
24/7 Availability
Patients of our agency can access a Registered Nurse via telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.